Rent Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

A fantastically funny, wonderfully silly piece of satire & brilliant film from my childhood - Austin Powers in Goldmember review by TB

This film was a massive part of my childhood in so many ways. It still today holds up as a brilliant & wonderfully written movie, chock-full of cameos & crazy stunts, alongside the glee that it has of being able to revel in the most childish of toilet humour & gags.

Austin Powers has put behind all of the trauma of losing Vanessa, having saved the world & living in the modern day. However, Dr Evil is still scheming & desperately wants to hold the world to ransom, involving the megalomaniac Goldmember, a Dutch man who inexplicably managed to get his genitals smelted into gold. His new plan is to kidnap Austin's father Nigel and hold him hostage. Austin teams up with Foxy Cleopatra, who is also on the trail of Mr 'Member, to stop Dr Evil, rescue his father and save the world.

As much as there is a plot, this just plays second-fiddle to the various set-ups that Myers has thought out, almost all of which are absolutely brilliant. There is a good joke at least once a minute, varying from the ridiculousness of "Austin" being launched from an ejector seat over the top of a helicopter in flight, shooting it down then landing perfectly on his feet, through to my own favourite, "The Mole." To me, this series of jokes, focussing on something which many have (a large mole on their face,) shows the brilliance of Myers. The number of situations where you as the viewer are willing him on to once again draw attention to & make a joke about it really brings you as the audience into that world.

And when it comes to casting, again things are perfect. Even back in the early 2000's, casting a singer, particularly one from an extremely successful girl band, would have been dismissed as stunt casting. But Beyoncè is really good, knowing at all times she is a part of a completely ludicrous film & totally getting into the spirit of her role as a Pam Grier-esque black detective avenging her partner's death.

But the shining star of this is Michael Caine. Over the years, he & his mannerisms have become legendary and often lovingly impersonated & mocked, something which he will play up to. Myers has taken this & run wild with it. Nigel Powers is exactly what you would expect & want of his performance: a combination of many of his iconic characters from Charlie Croker to Jack Carter, with lashings of the real-world legendary status he has accumulated. The chemistry that he & Myers have bursts out of the screen, with the audience knowing that they were never more than a breath away from laughter.

There are many other elements that I could mention, but this film just has it all in spades. It was a time that sadly has probably gone forever, when there were still films being released in cinemas that were not only gloriously funny but absolutely silly & serious about you as the viewer having fun, without some hidden agenda or message being either overtly or subtly put in your face. And it was embraced by audiences as well, becoming a massive success & leading to repeated clamouring for a sequel, although I have my doubts as to whether that would be as successful today, given how long it's been since this film, alongside the changing of the world as a whole.

But if you have a silly sensibility, alongside a love of ridiculous humour & situations, you won't find much better than this.